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Magyar removed his sign, as requested by city bylaw enforcement, on Sunday afternoon.

An Ontario Libertarian Party supporter now has the sign on his property in the Appleby Line and New Street area.

“I took it down exactly at 12:54 (on Sunday), but 45 minutes later it was back up again,” said Magyar, who did not want the resident’s full name or address published.

The 60-year-old initially erected the 4’x12’ sign more than two weeks ago on the front lawn of his Mount Forest Drive home.

It states “Stupid is as Stupid Does: Go Ahead Vote Liberal” along with a list of reasons he feels the Ontario Liberal Party can’t be trusted.

He says it is an election sign and the very embodiment of freedom of speech.

The city’s bylaw enforcement has classified it as a temporary personal sign, and under the sign bylaw, issued a notice last Thursday that the sign be removed by Sunday afternoon.

Tracey Burrows, the city’s manager of bylaw enforcement and licensing, said the issue is not the use of the word ‘stupid’ that was cited in a complaint, but rather its designation as a temporary personal sign.

“I’m classifying it as a temporary personal sign because that’s what it is and it is not in any shape or form an election sign and it has a personal message, so we are allowing him to have it for three days,” Burrows told the Post last week.

The story that first appeared on the Burlington Post’s website last week has resulted in subsequent coverage from media outlets across the Greater Toronto Area.

Magyar calls it his 15 minutes of fame.

He said as a result of the media attention, he has received phone calls and visits from many Burlington residents, as well as those in the surrounding communities.

“I have never met so many people in Burlington in all the years I’ve been here,” he said. “The neigbours are great – there is one neighbour who did an interview (with media) that felt it wasn’t appropriate – but the rest were all for it.”

Magyar said he now has a waiting list of people interested in displaying his political sign.

He added he is upset with this experience.

“I’m disappointed in the city,” said Magyar, who moved to Burlington from Woodstock in 1975. “I live here because I want to live here. I like this city. I like the people here. It is probably one of the best cities in the world to raise children – and I did – I raised two boys here.”

Magyar, a longtime Conservative supporter, said he is currently filing paperwork to renew his Ontario PC Party membership.

He also has plans to push what he says is an issue of free speech during the next provincial election.

“Depending on what happens this time, there are several people out there that hopefully next election I can reach out to and we’re going to put signs all over the city,” he said.